Three Marauders and a Baby
by Countess Jackman
Summary: When James Potter wakes up one morning, he gets the surprise of his life. R&R! I think the title gives away some of the plot as well. Chapter Five Up!
1. Stranger at the Door

A/N: Welcome! You have chosen to read my fic and for that, I give you many thanks. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I kinda thought of it on a whim and thought, Wow, that might be a very interesting story. So…without further ado, here's the chapter and review to let me know if you like it.

**Disclaimer: Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once--I am NOT JK Rowling, therefore, I do NOT own anything and if I did, I wouldn't be wasting my time on the Fanfiction, but writing the seventh book instead. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

The chiming of an elevator reaching its destination resonated off the walls of the long corridor, lined with many doors. The silver doors to the aforementioned elevator slid back into place and revealed the occupant. With a soft sigh, the inhabitant shook the water droplets off their coat and bent down to retrieve the item beside them. They swallowed a lump in their throat and, bravely, stepped out of the lift.

The figure walked down the warmly lit hallway, shuffling the item in their hand to another and exhale noisily, running their free hand through their damp locks. The one marveled at how soft the carpet was and how it added a spring to their gloomy step.

_At least I know that it's nice, _the individual thought to themselves as they glanced at the numbers on the door, searching for the right one. The figure sucked in air as they came upon their destination. Their heart beat wildly in their chest as they averted their eyes to the thing at their side. Hesitantly, they faced the door upon which the number 976 hung on a polished, gold plaque.

Reluctantly, they set their item down on the floor. The individual crouched down and withdrew a envelope from their coat pocket. They tucked it underneath the object and reached out, touching the smooth surface, their fingers lingering longer than they should have.

The figure squeezed their eyes shut, a tear trickling down their cheek as they slowly stood up and turned on their heel, walking determinedly down the hallway. They held their head high as tears continued to pour down their already wet face. They stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the downward button.

Tapping their foot anxiously, the behind let out a shaky sigh, dragging a hand through their tangled hair. The familiar chimed echoed down the hallway and the figure stole one last glance down the corridor, squeezing their eyes shut tightly. They stepped into the lift, lowering their head into their quivering hands, sobbing uncontrollably and wondering if they decision they just made, was actually for the best.

* * *

The alarm clock buzzed loudly as the sleeping form of James Potter groaned loudly. He flipped over to his other side, sighing in annoyance, and burrowing himself deeper in the blankets. The alarm continued to sing loudly and his hand snaked out from under the covers, slammed down on the off button, successful putting an end to the aggravating noise.

James sighed aggravatingly and sat up, knowing that it would be a waste to go back to sleep, as it was…he glanced at the clock on the bedside table…seven thirty. He threw the comforter off of his body and swung his legs over the side of his bed, leaning over his thighs and rubbing his hands over his face.

James reached out to the bedside table and grabbed his glass, shoving them up his nose. Lazily, he stood, stretching his arms out over his head and curling his toes.

He padded towards his bedroom door and ventured out into the hallway. James yawned loudly, shaking his head of unruly black hair out. He meandered through the living room and towards the kitchen, scuffling his feet against the cool tile that sent shivers down his spine.

After filling the coffeemaker with water and adding the grounded beans, he flipped the switch and waited for the hot caffeinated drink to brew. With an exaggerated sigh, James shuffled his way back through the living room and towards the front door to get the _Daily Prophet _that was bound to be on the doorstep, as he had paid to have the paper delivered to his flat.

He twisted the gold lock, then unlatched the chain lock, before lowering his hand to the brass door knob and turning it in his hand. James retched the door open, barely paying attention and stepped forward, his toe successfully colliding with a solid object.

"Bloody hell!" He let out a long chain of significant curses before an odd sound met his ears. Quirking a brow, James glanced down and let out a yelp in surprise. The noise increased and he rubbed at his eyes furiously, hoping to Merlin that it was just his imagination.

Nothing worked; he pinched, slapped, and poked himself to make him wake up from this nightmare that was occurring. It had to be a nightmare, but the shrill sounds of howling met his ears, shaking his eardrums.

Suddenly, Sirius appeared over his shoulder, asking about the loud ruckus that had woken him up. He glanced down at the ground, where James's eyes were currently fixed. When the realization hit him, Sirius barked, "Oh hell no!"

James shut the door suddenly and pressed his back to it. "No," he said, clasping his hands in his head, "No, no, no, no, NO! This is NOT happening! It's a dream! It has to be! It's a dream! It's a nightmare! A horrible nightmare!" James said, repeating everything he had just said to himself quickly.

Sirius's eyes were wide as Remus scuttled out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What the bloody hell is going on?" He questioned irritably.

James gasped for breath as he stood up and pivoted on his heels, opening the door once again. "No, James. That is _not _what I think it is, is it?" Sirius demanded, clapping his hands over his ears and joining James once again at his staring.

James shrugged, "I don't know, Sirius. It sounds really enough."

Remus grunted, hating his friends for annoying, and pushed past James, the unavoidable wailing meeting his ears. He gasped. "James," Remus exclaimed, slapping him upside the head.

"What?" James asked in a half there voice, his eyes widen in shock.

"Well, don't just stand there like an idiot," Remus snapped, "Pick it up."

Sirius nodded vigorously. "Please James," Sirius begged, "just shut that thing up."

Remus shook his head and slapped Sirius in the same manner he had James just seconds before. "That _thing _you are referring to, is an infant, you git!"

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Review_


	2. To Whom it Belongs

A/N: Thanks much for the reviews! You know, even though only FIVE of you reviewed out of the 125 that read it, I'm still happy. Thank you SO much! I really appreciate it! Well, here's the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Remus snapped his head in James's direction, ignoring the smart remark he received from Sirius. "Well, don't just stand there, Prongs! Do something!"

"Why do I have to do something about it, Moony?" James said heatedly, jabbing his thumb in Sirius's direction. "It's most likely his, anyway!"

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Oh, come off it, Padfoot; he's probably right."

Sirius scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "What makes you say that?"

"Geez, I wonder where I get this idea?" Remus said sarcastically, tapping his index finger on his chin. "Perhaps it's because all the women you bring home. You were bound to get one of them knocked up eventually!"

"What girls? I hardly _ever_ bring women back to the flat!"

"Then explain why you came barging into my room last night with a girl on each arm, asking me if I wanted to accept your extended offer of, and I quote, 'sharing the love'."

Sirius launched himself into a loud reply as James's hearing was drone out, nothing penetrating it but the infant's wails. He stared, long and hard, at the baby's twisted face, which was turning redder by the second. There was something about this baby that gave James a strange felling…almost as though he was connected to it somehow. He was startled by this emotion and blinked, the little boy's --at least he _assumed _it was a boy- face, gleaming out of focus.

Without thinking, he stepped out into the hallway and grabbed the pumpkin seat. James's breath caught in his throat as his fingers squeezed the handle while his friends bickered in the flat; he barely heard a word of it. He glanced down at his side and stared, wide eyed, at the baby, as it continued to howl, from what, James didn't know.

He hooked his foot around the strap of the black bag beside the pumpkin seat and dragged it inside. He closed the door with his foot, which snapped shut loudly, causing his two mates to stop their argument and turn their attention to James.

Sirius raised an interested brow at James's odd behavior as the latter set the pumpkin seat down on the coffee table, his hazel eyes glued to the baby's face. Remus and Sirius closed their maws immediately, watching James with partial amusement.

"Uh…James, what are you, er, doing?" asked Sirius.

James looked up at his friend through his glasses and said, "Shutting this 'thing' up, as you were begging me to do just a few minutes ago." He pushed the handle back until it clicked and, uneasily, glanced at Remus and Sirius as he placed his hands underneath the infant's body, lifting it up out of the seat. James held it awkwardly at first, causing the baby to scream louder.

Sirius clapped his hands over his ears again, muttering something under his breath about how hangovers and babies don't mix while Remus's face twisted in discomfort. James snapped his head up, his body froze in shock and cried, "Well, don't just stand there! Help!"

"What are we supposed to do, Prongs?" Sirius questioned.

"I dunno!" James set the baby back down in the pumpkin seat, hoping that it screeches would subside, but, alas, they increased. "What usually makes babies shut up?"

Remus and Sirius turned to each other, gave one another a glance, turned back to James and shrugged. The latter rolled his eyes. "Thanks for helping," James mumbled irritably.

"Well," Remus said, taking a tentative step forward, "If I remember correctly, normally holding them makes them stop crying, but apparently, not in this case, as you don't know how."

"You think you can do better?" James challenged. Remus sighed heavily and held his arms out. James passed the infant to him quickly, causing Remus to roll his eyes in annoyance. James swear he heard Remus mutter "Typical", under his breath as he shifted the baby around in his arms, holding it close to his chest.

For a brief moment, the baby stopped crying and blinked at Remus a few times. The werewolf took into mind the greenness of the baby's eyes. But just as quickly as the infant stopped howling, it erupted into a new shrill like wail and Remus turned his head up.

Sirius watched the exchange, shaking his head. Finally, once the baby started sobbing again, he stepped forward. "No, no, no. You're both doing it all wrong; here, Remus, give me the baby."

"Why?" asked James and Remus at the same time.

Sirius smirked, "Because people are always telling me I have a way with children."

"Who on Earth would let you touch their children, Padfoot?" James questioned incredulously.

Sirius's mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out. James smiled, triumphantly, as Remus handed the infant to Sirius, a relieved look on his face. The same thing happened to Sirius that occurred when Remus took the baby from James, only the baby screeched louder. The three sighed in exasperation.

Remus raised a skeptical eyebrow, an amused look on his features. "A way with children, eh, Padfoot?"

Sirius elbowed Remus in the ribs. "Sod off, you prat." He turned to James, "And if you're so good with children, Prongs, then you take the blasted thing."

James sighed heavily, "All right," he held out his arms, "give me the baby." Sirius passed the infant to James and he shuffled it into a more comfortable position, both for himself and the baby.

He bent his arm so that it was supporting the baby's neck, as his mother had always scolded him about when he held his little cousin, and placed his other hand underneath the baby. James cradled the infant close to his chest, readjusting the blankets so they were tucked tightly around it's body. Oddly enough, the baby's cried began to subside into small whimpers. James glanced up at his friends, grinning triumphantly.

"Thanks Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, "You finally got that _thing _to shut up!"

"You're talking too loud, Padfoot," Remus scowled, "And for the last time, that _thing _you are continuously referring to is an infant. Do I have to remind you ever thirty seconds?"

"No!"

Remus rolled his eyes, "That was a rhetorical question, Pads."

"Yeah rig-…wait, what?"

They faced each other and began taunting one another like children on a playground. James rolled his eyes in exasperation and glanced down at the baby in his arms. Its small body felt odd against his chest, as though it _belonged _there. James slowly swayed side to side, shushing the infant under his breath; the babe's tear-filled eyes began to drift shut.

From the looks of it, the baby was a boy, though he couldn't be sure. He recalled once when he went to the Muggle grocery store around the corner with…_her_ and he had mistaken a woman's baby for a male, when it was actually female. He tried to suppress his laughter and mutter an apology to the woman, but he found himself incapable and ran out of the store, offending the woman highly.

Shaking his head and chuckling softly, James snapped himself back into reality, smiling softly when he glanced down at the infant when it made an odd, content sound. He jerked his head upward towards Remus and Sirius, grinning.

"See," Sirius said brightly, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "I know he had it in him, Moony. I knew he did."

James offered a small, amused smile before returning his gaze back down to the infant. He suddenly became aware of something that hadn't been apparent before. He, uneasily, glanced up at his friends and said warily, "Uh…guys?"

Remus and Sirius glanced up at their friend. "Yeah," they answered simultaneously.

"I know this may sound stupid, but…whose is it?"

Sirius furrowed his brow in confusion. "Whose is what?"

James nudged his head toward the bundle of blankets in his arms. "The baby…whose is it?"

"That's not a stupid question at all, Prongs," Remus said, "It's actually a very good one."

"So, how are we gonna know whose baby it is?" Sirius asked.

Remus turned to James, "Did you check that baggy thing for some identification, like a birth certificate or anything."

James shook his head whilst pushing his glasses up his nose. "No, I didn't have the chance, what with you two bickering like a pair of first years and the initial shock of the whole situation." The infant stirred slightly, stretching out its arms and legs. James couldn't help but smile when the baby yawned widely.

"Padfoot and I will look for something that may help us identify which one of us the baby belongs to."

"Why can't I help?"

"Because you have to make sure the baby doesn't wake up." Remus said, plopping down on the couch and pulling the black bag on his lap. Sirius nodded, murmuring under his breath about how people were constantly telling him what to do and that he wasn't a child. He and Remus began searching through the diaper bag for anything that would help distinguish who the infant belonged to.

While the other two kept up their probing, James continued to stare in a daze state at the baby sleeping in his arms. The odd feeling came back. He tried to draw his eyes away from the infant's face, but found it very hard indeed.

"Found something!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly. James's eyes snapped upward and he saw that Sirius had an envelope clutched in between his fingers. There was slanted, cursive writing on the front, but it was simply addressed to _A Marauder…_

Sirius set it down on the coffee table and James gently eased the baby into the pumpkin seat, praying to Merlin that he wouldn't wake it up; the baby didn't stir. Sighing inwardly, he sat down on the couch only to have Remus squish in beside him.

They stared at the envelope for a long time as a million thoughts rushed through James's mind.

What if it was his? What the hell would he do? He had to work as an Auror--well, actually training to become an Auror- at the Ministry, be a member of the Order of the Phoenix, _and_ be a father!

As if his job wasn't enough, many benefits came along with it. James and Sirius, along with Remus, were the wizarding world's most eligible bachelors; and he loved it. If the baby was, in fact, his, then it would definitely get in the way of his social life.

You see, James liked to party; and not the type of partying where you dress up, drink cocktails, and talk about politics with people who do nothing but gossip about you. No, he liked the loud, pulsing music of Muggle nightclubs; dancing shamelessly with women he would never see again, nor remember; and drinking any and every type of alcoholic beverage until he was seeing three Moonys instead of one. The only thing that James did _not _enjoy about partying were the nasty hangovers, and he was currently getting over one wild night. James sure as hell was happy that he got the baby to 'shut up' as Sirius had kindly put it.

But, James realized, he was being selfish, which he was known for. If the baby was his, he would have to give all that up…but the problem…was he willing to?

"Well," Remus said, glancing from Sirius to James and back again. "Who's gonna open it?"

Sirius swallowed a lump in his throat and James moved his eyes to Remus. Beads of sweat were collecting at Remus's temples and James sighed softly. He reached forward with a shaky hand and grabbed the envelope off the tabletop.

"Who's it addressed to?" Sirius asked.

James shrugged. "It doesn't say specifically. It only says _A Marauder._"

"I'll open it, James," Remus said, taking the envelope from James's quivering hand. The latter nodded softly, allowing the parchment to slip through his fingers lightly.

Remus began to open the envelope when James interrupted suddenly, "Wait!" They stared at him, sending James a questioning look. "I think we should make a pact."

"A pact?" Sirius asked, "But why?"

"Would you let me explain?" James pressed crossly, sending a wary glance at the napping infant in front of him. "Anyway," he continued, not waiting for Sirius to respond. "What I was saying is that we should make a pact: no matter whose baby it is, we help them in anyway we can to raise it. And not just 'Oh, I'll warm the bottle up' or whatever, but I mean actually helping out; you know, the changing, the feeding, and everything that goes with it," He glanced uneasily between Remus and Sirius, "So, what do you think?"

Remus placed a hand on James's shoulder and smiled, "I think it's a good idea, Prongs, maybe one of the better ones you've had in a while."

"Well Padfoot?"

Sirius stared at them in disbelief. Sure, if the baby was his, which he _highly _doubted, as he had always been careful (James would have laughed at this if he had voiced it), he would take full responsibility, but if not…

"I'm not sure,"

"What do you mean, 'I'm not sure'?" Remus inquired dubiously.

"That's just what I mean, if the baby's not mine, then I don't want to give up my freedom to take care of that bloody thing!"

James rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Typical."

"Excuse me?"

"I said typical. It's typical that you're thinking of no one but yourself, Padfoot. In case you haven't noticed, the world doesn't revolve around you and your overly large ego!" James felt like a hypocrite for pointing this out to his friend, when he had been thinking it only moments ago.

Sirius scoffed indignantly and snatched the envelope from Remus's hand, giving the werewolf a nasty paper cut. "Ouch, Padfoot, you're such a prat!" Remus said, bringing his finger to his lips and sucking the blood away. Sirius snickered and Remus smacked him on the back of the head. James rolled his eyes.

"Would you two _please_ stop acting like a bunch of immature first years and actually open the goddamn letter!" James questioned loudly.

"Geez, Prongs, don't get your knickers in a twist," Sirius said. He ripped the envelope and pulled the folded piece of parchment out of it. He froze suddenly, as he was about to unfolded it and swallowed dryly.

"What's wrong now?"

"I don't want to read it, Prongs," Sirius blurted, handing the letter to James, "You open it."

James turned to Remus, his eyes searching his friend's face, hoping to find some sort of sign that the werewolf wasn't doing to make him open it. Nothing. "Prats," he murmured under his breath in annoyance, "Well, Pads, the only way I'm reading it is if you agree to the pact."

Sirius whined, "Do I have to?"

James nodded firmly, "Yeah, it's the only way." He stole a glance at the baby and suppressed a grin.

Sirius groaned loudly and sighed defeatedly. "All right, I agree." They all shook hands and made a 'Marauder's Promise', like they did in their school days.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, James unfolded the letter and began reading. His face paled noticeably as he read the salutation, but he persisted to read the writing on the parchment that was so familiar to him. Once he was finished, he glanced up at his friends, his expression impassive.

"Well, Prongs?" Remus eased uncertainly.

"Read it allowed," Sirius suggested.

James nodded. "All right," he cleared his throat and proceeded to read the letter:

"_To my only Marauder,_

_I can't believe I'm doing this, dropping a baby off on your doorstep, but I had no choice. I am unable to take care of our baby, as my job and the other pressures of life have finally caught up with me. I feel horrible for doing this, as I have never told you of our child. I can't hold a steady job because of the little tyke, nor do I have enough money for us to get by comfortably; hell, I barely have enough for myself. _

_You must understand, I love our baby with all my heart, but everything from work to the baby has taken it. I'm doing this for my and the baby's own good. I trust that you will be a good father towards the baby. If I know you like I think I do, I know you can do this and you will be the best father ever. Everything you'll need for a few days is in the diaper bag, you know, where you found the letter. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, even if it doesn't come naturally, and I doubt it will." _

James stopped reading suddenly. A dry lump formed in his throat, his mind racing. He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest, his breathes delayed.

"Prongsie," Sirius said tentatively, "Who's it from?"

James swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed softly, his hands shaking. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he started reading again.

"_I hope you won't hate me forever, I just need time off from our son._

_Lily" _

"Lily!" exclaimed Sirius and Remus. "As in Lily Evans!"

James nodded meekly, "Yes," he said in a small voice. "But there's more.

_P.S. Our son is three months old and his name is Harry James Potter. Everything you'll need for about a week is in the diaper bag. I'm sorry if this is a sudden shock to you, James, but you have to know sometime and, as the Muggle saying goes; there's no better time then the present."

* * *

_

A/N: As all other authors beg and plead for you readers to do...REVIEW! Please! At least six reviews gets an automatic ticket to the next chapter! 


	3. All Shook Up

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They are very much appreciated! Now, how about the new movie? I saw it on the 18th and, I dunno about you, but I REALLY liked it, particularly The-Boy-Who-Lived and Cedric. I now can say I love the prefect's bathroom…I really do!

Beside freaking out that I was going to see the movie in about a half hour, one of the ushers--the one who tore my ticket stub--looked like a carbon copy of the mental image I get when I think James Potter. He had the dark black, unruly hair; the hazel eyes with glasses, the sexy smirk, extremely good body---well, from what I could tell through his clothes. I had never wished harder that I had x-ray vision--- and MERLIN! He was just SMEXY! Thought I was going to die…

Anyway, I doubt you're all interested in hearing about this hot usher, who's name is Nate btw, so, here's the chapter. Again, thanks for reviewing and keep 'em coming!

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

As James lowered the letter, his hands shaking, the two Marauders that flanked his sides sighed collectively. Remus glanced tentatively at James and felt sorry for the young man; the latter's face was as white as a ghost and his handsome features contorted in confusion and shock. 

"Well," Sirius said cheekily, "At least he's not mine."

"PADFOOT!" Remus hissed, raising his hand in a threatening manner. Sirius stuck his tongue out at him and placed a hand on James's shoulder.

"It's going to be all right, Prongs," said Sirius in what he thought was a reassuring approach.

James shrugged Sirius's hand off his shoulder roughly and shook his head. "No, it isn't, and you bloody well know that, you insufferable prat."

Sirius was about to fire something smart back at James when Remus grabbed his arm firmly and shook his head, mouthing the word No'.

James exhale noisily and removed his glasses, running his hands over his face and through his unruly raven hair. Thoughts were racing through his mind at a mile a minute. He leaned over his thighs and rested his forehead in his palms, closing his hazel eyes.

How was he going to do this? He was barely an adult and now he was expected to be a father? Though, James had to admit, it was always his dreams to have children, but at 21? It was a bit too soon for him to have a child; he had also wished that he would've had a wife to share the joy with.

_Well, she would have been your wife, if she didn't run off with that stupid git…_James thought bitterly, grunting in frustration.

He didn't have a choice. He _had _to do it now. This was his son, and James was going to step up and take full responsibility for him. James cracked his eyes open and looked down at the sleeping infant that was his son.

Something swelled at an alarming rate in his chest. Out of his love for Lily, and with her help, of course, they had created something so wonderful, so beautiful!

_Of course the baby would be beautiful; it's mother was the most gorgeous woman on the face of the Earth._

James suddenly realized that was the reason he felt connected to the baby. As he stared at the small baby, a smile tugged at his lips, which had been drawn into a thin line.

"Sorry, James, I shouldn't've said that, it was incredibly rude of me," Sirius apologized for his relieved remark.

James shook his head, never taking his eyes off his son. "No, Sirius, it's all right; I would've said the same thing too, except," He looked up at his two mates, "I kinda knew from the moment I saw him, that he was mine."

Remus nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. When I held him and he looked up at me, I saw that his eyes were a startling green color and only knew of one other person who had eyes as gorgeous as that."

James nodded, mumbling a jumble of words under his breath as his eyes averted back to his child, another smile pulling at his mouth.

They sat in silence, all lost in their own thoughts. James was, of course, worried if he would make a good father or not; Remus was concerned for his best mate and how he would handle the situation, though the werewolf was ready to lend a helping hand when and where he could; and Sirius was still basking in his relief that the infant wasn't his and dancing happily in his mind.

"So," Sirius started, "What are you gonna do, James?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure, Padfoot. I guess I'll have to run out and get some baby stuff for Harry," James just couldn't believe that Lily had actually chose their son's name, the one that -- when they were talking about their future and starting a family with each other-- he had wanted for his son. He struggled to bite back a smirk.

"We could fix up one of the guest rooms for Harry," Remus suggested.

"And in Gryffindor colors, too," Sirius chirped.

James smiled, his eyes still fixated on the sleeping form of Harry. "Yeah," he bobbed his head in agreement, "that would be very nice for him, wouldn't it? Seeing as how he'll be staying here for awhile."

"We'll have to get some furniture, obviously," Remus pointed out.

Sirius sighed heavily, "As much as I would like to chat about decorating your son's room, James, I am extremely exhausted and I want to get back to sleep," he said as he stood from his seat and yawned.

"What he really means is that there is a presumably naked woman sleeping in his bed that he has to 'attend' to once more before she leaves, if you catch my drift," the werewolf commented. James chuckled and rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus and sauntered down the hall and out of sight.

"And don't be too loud," called James down the hallway as he made his way into the kitchen. He opened one of the top cabinets and removed from it two coffee mugs. Grabbing the coffee pot from the coffeemaker, he poured the hot liquid into the two cups before walking back out into the living room.

"Thanks," said Remus, accepting the proffered cup. James took his former seat on the couch and sighed heavily, sinking back into the leather.

"Do you think I can do it, Moony?" James asked offhandedly.

Remus set his mug down on the coffee table, next to Harry's pumpkin seat, and turned to James, puckering his brow. "What, Prongs?"

James gestured toward the sleeping infant, "Be a father; do you think I can do it?"

Remus placed a reassuring hand on James's shoulder and said, "I have never seen you fail at anything you do, James, never." James smiled softly, "I mean, you got Evans after all those years, didn't you?"

The smile fell off James's face quickly and he nodded somberly. Remus mentally smacked himself on the forehead; James was still bitter about the whole thing. But the werewolf understood where his best mate was coming from.

The 'epic' romance, as Sirius had put it, of Lily Evans and James Potter was quite an interesting one. They met on the train in first year, when James had accidentally bumped into Lily and sent her to the floor. James claimed that the moment he looked into her eyes, he was in love with her.

For years, he pursued her, but it was all in vain. But then again, Remus thought, it might have been because James was an arrogant, big-headed git and Lily was always quick to anger. They were infamous for their arguments; to Remus, it seemed to be a contest to see who could yell louder. Constantly, James was asking her out, even after their heated screaming matches, which angered Lily to no end.

After pulling a prank on Snape in their fifth year and Lily gave James a piece of her mind, James had started to change. Slowly, that was for sure, but he changed. It took all his strength not to hex Snivellus whenever James saw him in the hallway, Remus knew that much, but perhaps the thing that proved that James had, in fact, changed dramatically, was when he saved Snape from being attacked by Remus.

Over the summer of sixth year, James transformed from an immature, arrogant, bullying, smart ass into a mature, confident (but not cocky) young man. Then, their letters from Hogwarts came and, for James, proclaimed that he was the new Head Boy as well as Quidditch Captain. Though James was excited about both honors, he was bubbling on the inside about being appointed Head Boy. He was almost positive that Lily would be Head Girl, which heightened his chances of winning her over.

It was remarkable, the first month back at Hogwarts. James had managed not to hex anybody and had even taken to tutoring some of the younger students. Everyone noticed the sudden, but constant, change in James, especially Lily.

Remus didn't know how James did it, but one minute they were tearing each others heads off about something and the next, they were seen snogging in the corridors by everyone. Since Lily was truly the brightest witch of her age, she had long since figured out that Remus was a werewolf, but was oblivious to James being an illegal animagus. She had initially been shocked at first, but apparently, she recovered and agreed to marry James when he asked.

But it was strange; after she moved into the flat two months before the wedding, she started acting really strange, very distant from all of them, mostly from James. Though she appeared to be…glowing with happiness, her eyes were full of confusion and despair. Then, when James woke up one morning, she wasn't there; all her stuff was gone. All except one thing; the engagement ring that had been James's mother's that he proposed to Lily with, as well as a note, explaining that she had met someone else and was no longer in love with James.

It crushed James; he was still recovering from it, even after a year. Sure, James went out to clubs, partied a little too hard, but Remus knew that James was slowly convalescing

from the massive wound in his heart that Lily had left. Well, he _was _recuperating, until the little bundle of joy showed up on their doorstep.

Remus was shaken from his thoughts when James muttered, "We all saw how well that turned out."

The werewolf sighed and patted his friend on the shoulder. "It'll be all right, Prongs, it'll get better over time."

James murmured what sounded similar to 'whatever' under his breath, taking a long sip of his hot coffee. They sat in a long, awkward silence, sipping on their coffee. Remus watched as James attempted to say something, but ended up blubbering like a fish. James set his mug down on the coffee table, stood up, and ran a frustrated hand through his unruly hair.

"Do you know how hard it is, Moony?" James asked, his hands resting on the back of his neck.

"How hard what is, Prongs," replied Remus, cocking a brow.

James sighed resignedly and shook his head, "Never mind; it's not important anyways." He bent down and grabbed the black bag on the floor, tugging it up on his lap.

Remus stared at his friend, slightly worried and partially confused, but amused nonetheless. "Um, James, what exactly are you, um…doing?"

Not looking up from the bag, he opened it and, in a monotone voice, "At the end of the letter, she said there was enough stuff to get through the next day or so, along with instructions on how to prepare everything." He grunted in irritation and dumped all the bag's contents on the floor, causing a loud racket to ricochet off the walls; Remus winced.

James sank down to his knees on the floor and sorted through the odd objects. He recognized most of the items, but some were just hard to make out--at least for him it was. He searched for the sheet of parchment that contained the directions on it for a few moments before cursing and sitting back on his haunches.

"What's wrong?"

He ran a hand over his face, "I can't find the bleeding instructions; you know how difficult it will be for me without them?" Remus bit his lower lip to suppress a laugh. James glowered at him and was about to say something when Harry emitted a soft cry.

Both Moony and Prongs looked up from their searching and towards the infant. James quickly got off his feet and took Harry out of the pumpkin seat as gently as he could, cradling the crying baby to his chest, hoping to stop his cries.

When Harry had been wailing for approximately two minutes, James looked up at Remus desperately. "How come he hasn't stopped crying? He did the last time I held him!"

"I-I-I-I-I dunno, Prongs," Remus said, shrugging.

"Well," James started, his voice rising, but not in anger. "What should I do? I can very well let him cry all bloody day!"

"Cursing isn't going to help anything, James,"

"Shove it, Remus," James bit out, glaring at the werewolf. His hazel eyes swept over the room hastily, searching for anything that would quiet Harry's cries.

"D'you think he's hungry?" Remus suggested.

James shrugged, "He could be, but are there any bottles with that one thing--oh what's it called, ummm---baby formula---that's it--in them?"

"Lemme check," said Remus as he got down on his knees and searched through the pile of junk dumped on the couch. He grabbed one of the bottles that was filled with a milky white liquid and smiled triumphantly. "Here," the werewolf said, thrusting the bottle into James's hands.

James attempted to feed to bottle to Harry, but he screamed out in protest. "Why won't he take the bottle!" James cried. Remus shrugged.

"Wait!" Remus exclaimed after a few seconds, "babies like warm formula."

"Would you warm it up for me please?" James asked exasperatedly. Remus nodded and dashed off into the kitchen, quite literally throwing the bottle into the microwave and punching the buttons with furious fingers.

James glanced down at Harry and bit his lower lip. The infant's face was twisted and reddening by the second. He began to shush the baby, but Harry only cried louder. James rolled his eyes. "Please be quiet," James whispered, his voice full of hopefulness.

Remus came skidding into the living room, slipping in his socks on the hardwood floor and ramming into the back of the couch. He cursed loudly and James quipped, "Smooth, Moony."

"Do you want your son to shut up or not?" questioned Remus jokingly.

Apparently, James didn't catch the joking hint in the werewolf's voice and glowered at him, "Moony," he muttered through gritted teeth in a murderous tone. Remus held his hands up as if surrendering and sputtered, "I was just kidding James."

He hastily handed the bottle of formula to James, who grunted and shifted Harry in his arms. He shook his hair out of his face and sighed, "Well, let's hope he'll drink it this time." James tilted to bottle ever so slightly and put the nipple up to Harry's mouth. Harry was hesitant at fist, but took it to his mouth and began suckling; James punched the air.

"Watch it, Prongs; don't want to drop the little guy, do you?"

James shook his head and peered down at Harry through his glasses, smiling softly. "No, wouldn't want to do that," He said under his breath. Remus grinned tenderly and sighed; James really was going to make a good father.

* * *

A/N: Come on, guys, do I really need to tell you what to do? ((sighs)) Review please! 


	4. Spotaneous Combustion

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews. _

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

James sighed as he watched his son drink from the bottle of warm formula, wondering how he could be suckling down the liquid so quickly and not have the urge to burp. When, at last, the bottle was empty, James looked up at Remus expectantly.

"What happens now?" He asked.

"What makes you think I know, Prongs?"

"Well, you knew what to do with the bottle, so why wouldn't you know what happens next? You're the brains after all," James replied. Remus rolled his eyes in annoyance and began to ponder the subject.

James stared down at his son, unable to peal his eyes away from the small infant for more than thirty seconds. The more James gazed at Harry, the more of Lily he saw in him, as well as himself. Harry's eyes were the same shade of emerald, sparkling and beautiful, as his mother's were. James felt a pang of pain in his heart and shook all negative thoughts out of his mind.

Remus sighed heavily, "I could only think of one way,"

James raised a brow, "And what's that?"

"Ask your mother for help," the werewolf suggested wearily.

The former shook his head furiously. "No; no way!"

"Why not?"

"For one, she would _completely _flip out. Have you ever seen my mum freak out? It's not a pretty sight, trust me! And two, she would call me an idiot and say that it was typical for me to get a woman knocked as and only prove her point that I was, and I quote, promiscuous in my Hogwarts days."

"But," Remus said, furrowing his brow in confusion. "You haven't been at Hogwarts for over 3 years, so unless Harry's got some birth defect, wouldn't your mum know that Lily was the mother?"

"I highly doubt that she would use that much time to figure it out, when she's always trying to convince me that I need to 'settle down'." James exhaled loudly, running a hand through his already ruffled raven locks.

Remus thought he heard his mate muttered darkly under his breath about having tried to go about the 'settling down' business, but it hadn't worked. He felt sympathy for his friend, knowing that Lily's absence and Harry's sudden appearance had sent him into an utter mess of confusion and a mixture of emotions.

"All mothers are like that,"

"Yours and Sirius's aren't." James pointed out, his eyes once again averted to his son, who had a twist look of discomfort on his face.

"Well, my mum knows I have a particular reason for not settling down, and Sirius's mum, well she just--," Remus stopped abruptly as he saw James's eyebrow knitted together in perplexity. "What is it, Prongs?" he asked, walking over to the young father and standing over his shoulder.

"Is it me, or does it look like my son's about to explode?" James questioned.

Remus nodded, "Aye, he does."

To the werewolf's surprise, James began to panic. "Why does he look like that, Moony? Why? What's wrong with him!" He pressed in bewilderment.

"I-I-I-I dunno!" Remus said, throwing his hands up.

"Oh my god, my son is going to spontaneously combust and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm such a bad father." James sulked loudly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Your son is not going to spontaneously combust, James. Babies don't randomly blow up."

"How would you know that?"

"I was an infant once James, as were you and neither of us sporadically burst into flames," Remus pointed out, noticing how incredibly stupid he sounded.

One of the doors down the hallway opened and Sirius, along with a familiar looking woman with disheveled hair came out into the living room. "What's going on?" Sirius asked, "I was about to fall asleep when I heard Prongsie talking about Harry spontaneously combusting."

"What, and you're here to watch it, I presume?" James asked, slightly startled when his best mate nodded.

"For that last time, James, your son is not going to blow up!" Remus said.

"You have a son, James?" the tousled haired woman asked, her tone of voice showing signs of astonishment. James recognized the voice and whipped around, staring at her.

"Meadows?" He inquired, raising a brow.

The young woman nodded, stifling a yawn. "Potter,"

"Why?"

"Why what?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Why are you in my apartment, wearing nothing but a button up shirt that is presumably Sirius, though it looks oddly like the one I lent him last week? You're not going out with the berk, are you?"

"Hey!" Sirius interjected, "I resent that!"

"Though it couldn't be farther from the truth," Remus commented.

"Shut up," Sirius muttered, jabbing the former in the rib with an elbow, "nobody asked you."

"Yes, Potter, as ashamed as I am to admit it, I am going out with Sirius, though he's not too bad," Dorcas replied, winking in Sirius's direction, who smirked knowingly back.

"Ew," Prongs and Moony said in unison.

"So this is your son, James?" Dorcas asked, moving to get a better look at the little infant.

James nodded. He shuffled around so it would be easier for his fellow Auror and friend to look at his son.

"Awwww, isn't he adorable?" cooed Dorcas, sending a glance over her shoulder at Sirius, who held up his hands and said, "Don't even think about it." Dorcas laughed and peered up at James.

"Could I hold him?"

"Sure, I guess, but for some reason, he doesn't look too comfortable," James said, carefully, and gently, along with a bit of hesitation, handed Harry over to the young woman.

She positioned Harry in her arms with what appeared to be expertise precision. At the young mens' curious looks, she said, "What? My mum popped out a baby practically every year since I was eight; I know what I'm doing," and she turned her gaze down to Harry.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" James asked, "I mean, why does he look like he's going to explode?"

Dorcas chuckled, apparently finding it amusing that James had no idea what was happening. "He's not going to explode, you moron; he needs to be burped."

James flushed a deep shade of crimson and felt completely idiotic. "Oh," he muttered sheepishly. "I knew he couldn't drink that much and not need to belch!" The stag exclaimed suddenly.

Remus and Sirius laughed loudly whilst Dorcas giggled. "Here," she started, "would you like me to show you?"

James nodded profusely and Dorcas beckoned him over to the couch, seating herself. She cautiously handed Harry over to his father and instructed the latter how to burp the baby and told him the it was necessary for him to do it after every time he fed him. James seemed to be taking it all in, making a series of mental notes, and Dorcas couldn't help but smile.

"So, Lils' the mummy, right?"

James bobbed his head, "Yeah, she is," he muttered under his breath. He ruffled his hair and smiled tightly back.

"What's his name?"

"Harry--Harry James Potter," He answered, stifling a yawn.

"Awww, I can already see so much of the both of you in him; where is Reds anyway?"

James paled, "Oh, ummm, you see….er, she's not….erm," He glanced pleadingly up at his best mates, who clearly got the message while the animagus ran a hand through his hair again.

"You see, Dorcas," Remus said, taking a seat in one of the armchairs; Sirius followed suit, sitting directly across from him. "James found Harry on the front doorstep this morning. He had no idea Harry existed until this morning," He glanced down at his watch, "Actually, he just found out about three hours ago."

Dorcas's smiled vanished immediately and her eyes flickered to James, studying him intensely. She placed a hand on her friend's arm and sighed, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that something happened to Lily."

"Oh," James said, "Nothing happened to her. No, she just dropped him on the doorstep; here's the letter she left," he added, handing it to her. Dorcas read over it quickly while James patted his son on the back, waiting for him to burp, though nothing happened yet.

Every so often, Dorcas glanced at James then at Sirius, who peered at Remus in return, whose eyes would drop to James, who was completely enraptured by his son; all four smiled. Dorcas wordlessly handed the letter back to James and stood, stretching her limbs over her head.

"I think I ought to be going," she muttered, making her way back down the hall. Sirius leapt up from his seat, the uncomfortable silence piercing through him like a knife.

"I'll see that you get home safely; Remus, you coming?" Sirius asked. The werewolf glanced uneasily at James.

"You can go ahead and leave, Moony." James said, hardly paying his friend an ounce of attention.

"You sure?"

"Positive," James replied and Harry promptly threw up on him. He stared at his son for a prolonged moment before letting out a loud laugh, which was joined by a chorus of others.

"Well, Prongs, we know one thing he got from you,"

"What's that?"

"No one can be as charming as that whilst regurgitating."


	5. Soiled Plans

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry it took me so long to update! I just caught up with the Christmas holidays and all, so yeah, here's a new chapter and review!_

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

James grunted softly as he whipped the remainder of his son's vomit off the front of his white tee shirt. "Gross," he muttered under his breath, tossing the paper towel in the waste basket. "Perfect time to misplace your wand, Potter," he said to himself as he walked back into the living room, grinning as he saw the sleeping form of Harry.

He _still_ couldn't believe it. Initially, it had been a monstrous shock from him, but, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Harry shifted in his pumpkin seat and James feared that the infant was going to wake up and scream his lungs out, though it never happened.

James sighed heavily, peeling his dirty tee shirt over his head as he walked down the hall toward his bedroom. _I have no idea where he got his lung capacity from_, James thought as he took a clean tee shirt out of his dresser and pulled it over his head, brushing off all the lint. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he tried to make his hair lie flat, but with no success. _Wait, _he thought, a wicked grin spreading across his lips, _Lily was a screamer._

James chuckled as he discarded his flannel pajama pants and tugged on some blue jeans. He quickly glanced in the mirror before padding out of his room and down the hallway. James grunted as he plopped down on the couch parallel to Harry's pumpkin seat.

"Man, what am I going to tell Mum," He whispered, taking off his glasses and rubbing his hands over his face. "She's going to go mental, I tell you." James could just picture his mother with her hands around his neck, trying in vain to 'shake some sense' into her son. He cringed and shook his head. "But that's all right. The second she sees you, all will be forgotten." James cracked a grin as he saw the corners of Harry's mouth twitch in his sleep.

* * *

"Remind me; why did we leave?" Dorcas asked, glancing at the two men that flanked either of her sides.

"Because," Sirius said as he brought the bottle of butterbeer to his lips. "We're giving James and little Harry some bonding time."

"Aha," was all Dorcas said as she, too, took a drink of her butterbeer.

"And we don't want to be there when he begs for his mother's help." Remus added.

"Why is that such a bad thing?" questioned Dorcas uneasily.

"Because James won't ask for help unless he is in dire need of it." Sirius replied.

Dorcas nodded softly, some of her dark locks falling in her eyes. Sirius grinned and pushed them behind her ear, stealing a quick kiss. Both heard Remus let out a sigh of annoyance and pulled away quickly, Dorcas's cheeks three shades brighter.

"He mentioned something about his mother…or at least, I thought I heard him talking about his mother flipping out if and when she found out." Dorcas supplied.

"Yes," Remus said, wiping his mouth with his napkin and pushing his plate of food further away from him. "About that; the reason why we don't want to be there is because if we were there, he would ask for our help, like he did this morning, and then he'll never have a last resort to go to, which is his mother, and therefore, he'll never tell her about Harry."

"And this way," Sirius put in, "James will be forced to deal with his mother and-."

"It's better now than never," Dorcas finished with a small smile. "Oh, you two are evil."

"Why thank you," Sirius replied cheekily.

"We aren't Marauders for nothing." Remus added, smiling as the three clinked their butterbeer bottles together and tossed their heads back, drinking what was left of the warm liquid.

* * *

James was snapped awake, as he had fallen asleep watching his son napping, by the said infant. Quickly, he scooped Harry up in his arms and tried to quiet him. Nothing worked; he tried giving him another bottle, burping him, and singing to him. James grunted in frustration.

"Come on, please don't cry," James begged, lightly swaying back and forth. "There's not need to cry, Harry, no reason at all."

Harry's face twisted in discomfort and James had to remind himself that his son was not going to spontaneously combust. "What's wrong?" James asked, while Harry continued to wail. "Do you miss Mummy? Is that it?" His reply was a scream. "I'll take that as a no; what's wrong?"

Harry persisted to cry and James tried to quiet him down when suddenly, James was met by a horrific smell. He sniffed around, not exactly sure what he was smelling. He walked into the kitchen and checked the trash can, the refrigerator, and the pantry for something that could cause such a stench. He felt Harry squirm in his arms and cast a look down at his son. Grudgingly, he took a whiff of his son and his face scrunched up.

"Oh, sweet mother of all things holy, that is the most god-awful smelt I've ever inhaled in my life! How in bleeding hell did you do that!" James questioned Harry incredulously. As if mocking his father, little Harry let out a giggle, which immediately made James smile.

James ambled back into the living room, trying not to breath through his nose in fear of getting another horrendous whiff of Harry's dirty diaper. He set Harry down in the pumpkin seat and got down on his knees, beginning to look through all the contents of the diaper bag. He figured that he must've overlooked the instructions in his hysteria when Harry began crying for the first time…well _after_ he had brought him into the flat.

"Now, where are they?" James muttered to himself as he picked his way through the various articles of baby clothing, which if not in the current situation, he would've found adorable, and all the little baby necessities. He tossed a rattle over his shoulder and heard it collide with something behind him.

"Ouch, bloody hell, Prongs: what in the name of Merlin did you just throw at me?" came the screeching voice of Sirius. "Prongs, where are you?"

James sighed as he pushed his way out from under the coffee table, successfully hitting his head on the corner and grunting in annoyance as he saw Harry laugh again. It would've warmed his heart if he wasn't so aggravated. He looked over his shoulder at Sirius and grinned at the sight of his best mate clutching his nose. "Okay," James said, turning to Harry, "maybe I shouldn't thrown potential dangerous baby toys around?"

Again, Harry giggled, causing a huge grin to spread across James's face. He leaned forward to pick up his son when he met the awful smell again. He could hear Sirius grumbling under his breath as he shuffled his way down the hall, toward the bathroom. The door slammed as Remus walked in through the front door.

"Hello Prongs, how has your da-" Remus's face scrunched up. "What in God's name is that smell, James?"

James nudged his head toward Harry, who had his fingers in his mouth, threatening to gnaw them off. "He's got a dirty diaper."

"And you're just gonna let him smell up the whole damn place?" Remus exclaimed dubiously.

"No, I'm not going to let it 'smell up the whole damn place', and watch your language, we have little ears around," James said, gesturing once more toward Harry, who looked back at him with big emerald eyes. James was about to take the infant out of his seat when he reminded himself of how horrible his son smelt.

"Sod off, you prick," Remus grumbled. The werewolf sighed heavily and plopped down on the couch. "Bloody hell Prongs, you've got to do something about that!"

"What can I do about it Moony?" James questioned, throwing his arms up in the air.

"You could change him!" Remus retorted.

"I don't know how to bloody do it, Moony!" shouted James. The content smile vanished from Harry's face the second his father raised his voice and he withdrew his fingers from his mouth, threatening to cry again. James whipped around and scooted forward. "Oh no, Harry, it's all right; there's not need to cry. Don't cry, okay? Be a good boy and please don't cry."

Harry seemed to think it through for a moment, touched by his father's sudden change of attitude toward him, of that James was sure and stuffed his fingers back in his mouth. James sighed as Sirius threw himself down on the couch next to Remus, immediately complaining about the stench. The werewolf took the time to explain James's current situation and Sirius looked back at his best mate helplessly.

"I'm sorry, mate; we should've had Dorcas stay longer."

"She had to go to work, you dumbass," muttered Remus, folding his arms moodily over his chest.

James noticed this slightly aggressive action and asked, "What's got your knickers in a twist, Moony? That time of the month again?"

Remus grabbed the pillow beside him and chucked it at James, who dodged it with ease after years of Quidditch. James stuck his tongue out at the werewolf, who glowered back at him. "How many times have I asked you not to call me that, James? How many?"

"Too many to count," Sirius said, eyeing Harry with curiosity. "How can something so small produce such a reeking stench; even I can't do that and I'm a full grown man."

Remus clapped him on the shoulder and said with all seriousness, "If you tell yourself that enough, Padfoot, it just might come true."

"Sod off, you bleeding prat." Sirius said, smacking Remus on the arm. The two chuckled before turning their attention back to James, who had resumed his searching. "Uh, Prongs?"

"Yes Padfoot?"

"What in the name of Merlin's mother are you doing?"

"Looking for those damn instructions; they've got to be here somewhere. Lily wouldn't forget something like that." James replied instantly, making Remus and Sirius's eyes widen in surprise.

James had been incapable of saying Lily's name--unless he was completely smashed or sleeping-- since she had left. The stag had to admit to himself that he was quite shocked as it rolled off his tongue so easily. Normally, he referred to her as Evans when speaking to others, though he called her Lily in his thoughts.

"Oh shove it, you two are acting like Marlene McKinnon when someone brings up the name Voldemort." They continued to stare at him in half shock. "Help me look for those bleeding instructions, dammit." James snapped irritably.

Remus slid off the couch first and began rummaging through the diaper and Sirius began taking the cushions off the couch, searching for the piece of parchment.

"Wait a minute!" Remus cried, slapping his forehead.

"What!" James said eagerly, backing up from his spot under the table and bumping his head on the corner of the coffee table.

Sirius fought to hold back his laughter, a small snicker escaping his lips.

"So," James said, tentatively touching the back of his head. "What's the discovery you've made, Moonbeam?"

Remus glared at Prongs and sighed, "We're wizards, are we not?"

They nodded eagerly.

"_Accio _instructions!" Remus called, holding out his wand. Harry, who had been watching the adults with wide eyes, let out a sob and James whipped his head in the direction of his son. As soon as Harry saw that his father was looking at him, he stopped and stared at the ceiling. James let out a breath of relief as the directions came soaring into Remus's outstretched hand. "Success!" He cried.

James leapt up from his crouched position on the floor excitedly, his knee crashing into the coffee table. "Bleeding hell, how many times can a chap do that in one day?" He grasped his kneecap in one hand and hopped over to Remus, snatching the instructions out of the werewolf's hand.

"A thanks would be nice," Remus muttered.

"Thanks Moony," James replied, smiling winningly at him as he ripped open the wax seal and unfolded the piece of parchment. His eyes swept over the page of neatly written handwriting quickly as he took in the information.

After a few minutes of silence, and very expectant looks from his two mates, James lowered the parchment and stared back at them.

"Well?" Sirius drawled.

James shook his head. "Nothing," he whispered.

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Remus questioned.

James's hazel eyes flashed with anger as he threw the instructions on the floor. "There's nothing about changing a bloody diaper on the damn thing! You'd think that she'd put it on there, as it is very important, but nooooo! She didn't. Merlin forbid she do anything to help me out, like dropping our child on my doorstep without even letting me know that he existed until thirteen bloody hours ago!" James grunted in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh Merlin, what am I going to do? I can very well let him sit there and soil himself! Padfoot? Moony?"

Remus sighed and exchanged a look with Sirius, who nodded.

"What?" James questioned.

"It's time to call in reinforcements," Remus said.

A look of sudden horror spread over James's face. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "Not that…anything but that."

"Yes, Prongs, _that._" Sirius shook his head in remorse. "It's time to call Mumsie."

* * *

A/N: Review! 


End file.
